‘Christmas is coming. […] Such a capering and hiding; stitching, knitting, clipping, cutting, and pasting; red paper and blue paper; spangles of gold and silver; purses, cuffs, lamp-rugs, slippers, and neck-ties; gewgaws, and filigree, and gimcracks; green trees, hung all over with colored balls, little angels, and candy horsemen; wax tapers and bits of looking-glass; such surprises hid in fancy boxes and bags, on the tops of the wardrobes, behind the bureaus, and under the sofas, for Tom, Dick, and Harry; mysterious whisperings, secret conferences, knowing looks, nods, and winks, and sudden hidings away of articles in progress of manufacture but not yet to be seen Continue reading Victorian & Edwardian Christmas Gifts – Part 1→

I wanted to sew woven fabric stockings for a long time, and now I’ve finally sewn a pair of medieval fabric stockings! I like how they turned out. And they’re really comfortable to wear! Continue reading Medieval Stockings→

Jersey applique is so beautiful and such an easy project – even for a sewing beginner or for your kids! It just takes some minutes, and it’s a perfect project to use up all those jersey knit scraps. You can choose a simple design for your jersey applique, such as dots, stripes or flowers, or a more complicated pattern.

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to make basic drawn thread work by hand. Drawn thread work is a counted thread embroidery: some warp or weft threads are removed and the remaining threads are grouped together with hemstitches. Drawn thread work has been popular for a long time: It was already used in the Middle Ages (source), and was still popular in the Victorian and Edwardian era and the 1920s. ‘Drawn-thread work forms a connecting link between embroidery and lace work […] it is very durable, and washes well.’ (Every Woman’s Encyclopaedia, 1910-2) Continue reading Drawn Thread Work Tutorial→

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Hi, I’m Lina. I’m interested in historical fashion, I’m a DIY’er, I like to sew and try out new things. On this blog, I’m sharing free sewing, refashion and natural makeup tutorials with you, and write about costumes I’ve created.